Clipfest

Someone, somewhere in Broadcasting House is slaving over a video compilation of Paxo's best bits - either for broadcast or the farewell-knees-up. Wednesday looks to be his last Newsnight.

He joined the show in 1989 - Peter Snow was top dog, but Paxman was brought in on a short-term deal for odd nights, along with Francine Stock. Ironically, he was available because the format of his previous show was deemed "hard" enough. John Birt had arrived at the BBC in 1987 as Deputy Director General Minding News, and his lieutenants - Ian Hargreaves, Tony Hall and Robin Walsh - were left in no doubt that

Breakfast Time, the show which monstered TV-Am, was too fluffy. Frank Bough was soon moved to the Holiday show. In 1989, Breakfast Time became Breakfast News, with Nicholas Witchell, and a business news section.


Paxman's self-penned bio on Newsnight suggests he was something at something of a loose end: "Although taken onto a resettlement programme to learn how to become a producer, he proved incapable of even the most basic tasks and in 1989 was given a temporary stint presenting Newsnight". But the interview techniques he'd been honing for Breakfast Time audiences instantly caught the attention of those who wouldn't dream of tuning away from Today in the morning.


He became, in the words of John Morrison, his editor at the time, "a publicity magnet from day one". Which led, very quickly, to a Spitting Image puppet. The rest is history.